https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2014-50515-4
Colloquium
Advances in femto-nano-optics: ultrafast nonlinearity of metal nanoparticles
FemtoNanoOptics group, Institut Lumière Matière
UMR5306, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, 69622
Villeurbanne,
France
a e-mail: paolo.maioli@univ-lyon1.fr
Received:
30
July
2014
Received in final form:
9
September
2014
Published online:
5
November
2014
With the recent advances of experimental techniques, the nonlinear ultrafast optical response of metal nano-objects can now be investigated both on ensembles and on single nanoparticles. Its connection with the metal electronic and lattice kinetics is studied on the basis of a model describing the wavelength and time-dependent modifications of the object material dielectric function. Its application is illustrated in the case of single silver nanospheres and gold nanorods, as well as on ensembles of noble metal nanoparticles and metal-semiconductor nano-hybrids. This quantitative analysis also permits to elucidate the physical mechanisms at the origin of ultrafast nonlinearities in confined metals at different timescales.
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2014